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POLITICO 44

J.D. Hayworth’s camp is attacking Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for putting out a web ad Wednesday comparing Hayworth to the heads of the so-called “birther” conspiracy theorists.

The ad, titled “Identity,” links Hayworth – the former congressman who is challenging McCain in the GOP – with Orly Taitz and Phil Berg, two of the most prominent leaders of lawsuits seeking proof of President Barack Obama’s citizenship.

“These are serious economic times. Yet some are consumed by conspiracies,” text at the beginning of the ad reads before showing clips of Taitz, Berg and Hayworth.

After showing videos of all the three, an announcer says, “The only difference between these three people? Only one is running for the U.S. Senate.”

In a response to POLITICO, Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose said the web ad smacked of “desperation.”

“I love the smell of 24-year incumbent desperation in the afternoon. He hears those conservative footsteps a comin' and knows his political fate, like [Florida] Gov. [Charlie] Crist, is a matter of time. And he knows full well it was J.D.'s job as a talk-show host to provoke discussion. Questions were raised on the air. They have been answered.”

Rose went on to jab at McCain over some of his more controversial votes and make a reference to the Arizona senator profanely declaring that Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk show host would “destroy” the Republican Party.

“This issue is closed, unlike McCain's colorful comments on pp. 283-284 in 'game change,' why he opposed Arizona's Martin Luther King Day or exactly how he was ‘misled’ in voting for the TARP bailout, revisionism that has been lampooned this week across the country,” Rose said.

“With Arizona’s economy in crisis, it’s troubling that Mr. Hayworth is peddling in conspiracy theories," said McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers in a release about the new ad. "And while Mr. Hayworth is obviously welcome to backtrack and flip-flop on his very recent statements questioning the President’s citizenship on national TV and on his radio program, it’s important that Arizonans understand his real record on this and other issues. Facts are stubborn things, J.D.”

While Hayworth was a Phoenix-area radio host, he interviewed Taitz on his show and played a clip of Berg. And in interviews since the launch of his campaign, Hayworth has hinted that he too supports the theory that president was not born in this country and therefore ineligible to serve – despite a certificate of live birth presented by the state of Hawaii.

Last week, Hayworth told CNN’s Campbell Brown that “for every race across the country, especially with identity theft in the news, it would be great that people can confirm who they said they are.”

And on MSNBC’s “Hardball” in January, he said to host Chris Matthews: “We all had to bring our birth certificates to show we were who we said we were, and we were the age we said we were, to play football and youth sports. Shouldn't we know exactly that anyone who wants to run for public office is a natural-born citizen of the United States and is who they say they are?”

“I’m just saying the President should come forward with the information, that’s all. Why must we depend on the Governor of Hawaii?” he added.